Natwest and poor customer service

haikugirl_uk

As a full-time professional with a regular income, I was surprised to receive a letter detailing miscellaneous bank charges applied to my Natwest account. When I requested to speak to a customer services representative, and dared to query these charges, I experienced Natwest's version of customer service which was patronising, arrogant and of no help whatsoever.

What I wanted was to be told how these charges had arisen, what had happened to the rest of the money in my account, and how they arrived at the numbers in the letter that they'd sent me (they didn't add up at all). Not such an outrageous request, I think.

What I got was a refusal to explain the charges on the grounds that they're legally binding (I still didn't know what the charges were for), and they didn't allow me to pay off the balance and close the account as they didn't have the IT systems that day (whatever happened to good old pen and paper?).

I would have been happy to pay of the charges had I known what they were, but now I'm frustrated by their lack of customer service.... 'another way'? Definitely, but hopefully with another bank and not Natwest.

amandathepanda

I don't know how your charges breakdown but I know that a £35 fee is for a returned item. I suggest you go in and complain about the attitude of the original CSO officer that served you and you are also entitled to know what the charges are for . It may be that you were served by an inexperienced member of staff, who did not know what the charges related to.

virgin_moneysaver

can you be a bit more specific about the letter - usually they will only send a letter the 1st time they have to return an item, which outlines what has caused the charge & that any subsequent returns will incur the same fee - other than that you will get a pre-advice statement giving a breakdown of the fees due to be taken at the end of the month, & you get this at the beginning of the month - I assume it is a personal account you are refering to, and not a business account?

newfoundglory

A bank's penalty charges legally binding? Haha, I think not somehow...

A banks penalty charges never match closely in any way the actual costs incurred by the bank, and such penalty charges which would bring in profit in contracts are not allowed and would never stand up in a court of law.

Ask them if they would like to try and justify their high charges in small claims...?

jimmyjim_uk

haikugirl_uk wrote:

As a full-time professional with a regular income, I was surprised to receive a letter detailing miscellaneous bank charges applied to my Natwest account. When I requested to speak to a customer services representative, and dared to query these charges, I experienced Natwest's version of customer service which was patronising, arrogant and of no help whatsoever.

What I wanted was to be told how these charges had arisen, what had happened to the rest of the money in my account, and how they arrived at the numbers in the letter that they'd sent me (they didn't add up at all). Not such an outrageous request, I think.

What I got was a refusal to explain the charges on the grounds that they're legally binding (I still didn't know what the charges were for), and they didn't allow me to pay off the balance and close the account as they didn't have the IT systems that day (whatever happened to good old pen and paper?).

I would have been happy to pay of the charges had I known what they were, but now I'm frustrated by their lack of customer service.... 'another way'? Definitely, but hopefully with another bank and not Natwest.

I always find going into a branch far more effective when tackling bank charges. You are less likely to get fobbed off, like on the phone.